GARY – The image of Our Lady of Guadalupe that appeared miraculously on the cloak of St. Juan Diego in 1531 is perhaps one of the most recognizable images of Mary in America, present on everything from public murals and embroidered jackets to devotional candles and priestly vestments. For two Catholic parishes in Gary, the image of the Blessed Mother is a reminder of God’s faithfulness even in the darkest of times.
On March 24, the parish of Ss. Monica and Luke officially gifted a historic statue of Our Lady of Guadalupe to the neighboring parish of St. Joseph the Worker, where she was welcomed with great joy and festivity on the vigil of the Solemnity of the Annunciation.
This specific statue of Our Lady of Guadalupe has a history of stirring devotion and answered prayers. In the 1940s, during World War II, parishioner Felicitas Banda knelt before the statue at the since-closed St. Anthony of Padua in Gary. She prayed that if Our Lady of Guadalupe brought all of the servicemen of the parish home safely from the war, she would honor her with a crown of pure gold.
When her prayer was answered, she got to work raising $2,000 for the crown. Although the parishioner herself was of limited means, she contacted the families of servicemen who made it home safely for monetary gifts and the young adults of the parish held fundraisers as an act of thanksgiving for the Blessed Mother’s protection.
The gold crown remains affixed atop the statue, which has annually been loaned to St. Joseph the Worker, currently a predominantly Hispanic parish, for the novena in her honor each December. Now, the statue has found a permanent home in the parish.
On Tuesday evening, when parishioners officially moved the statue from its former home to its new community, the faithful gathered at Ss. Monica and Luke for a brief prayer service before parishioners moved the statue to a car to make the journey across town. Ss. Monica and Luke will be concluding their time as a worship site with a closing Mass on Pentecost Sunday, May 24, making the gift an emotional sign of the transition to come.
Father Michael Surufka, OFM, pastor of the Gary parishes, read the Gospel of Luke’s account of the Annunciation and encouraged the faithful, “This is a day that is both beautiful and sad. But a beautiful day that we remember the promise the angel gave to Mary, while some in this community are experiencing loss.
“The angel says, ‘Do not be afraid.’ We live in a time of great fear. We fear things happening in our towns, where we work, where our children go to school, and on the other side of the world. But this image came as a sign of gratitude to God because they were not afraid.”
Linda Dominguez made the last-minute journey to Gary from Wisconsin when her sisters called her the morning of March 24 to let her know that the statue would be transferring to a new home. Dominguez’s parents, Mina and Ines Nuñez, commissioned the banner that accompanied the statue in 1991 from indigenous artists in Mexico.
“She’s our Virgen,” Dominguez shared. “She’s going to a very good home. There are children there and they should learn about the Virgin and all of the miracles she has brought.”
During the prayer service that marked the statue’s departure from Ss. Monica and Luke, the three Nuñez sisters, stood to give witness to the miracles associated with Our Lady of Guadalupe, while Agnes Roberts, a lifelong parishioner of Ss. Monica and Luke, formally gifted the statue to its new community.
“Thank you all for giving us the opportunity to pass along this statue,” Roberts told those present. “We’re ending an old era and entering into something new. I know you will take great care of it.”
When the historic statue of la Virgen arrived at St. Joseph the Worker, the tone of the evening shifted from one of grief and loss to one of celebration as the community welcomed the new devotional image. The mariachi of the parish, made up largely of youth, serenaded Our Lady of Guadalupe and provided music for a vigil Mass in celebration of the Annunciation of the Lord and Mary’s fiat, her joyful obedience to becoming the Mother of God.
Following the Mass, the statue was moved to a location in the north transept of the church, where flowers, devotional candles, and kneelers were arranged around it. Parishioners took turns taking pictures with the new addition to their church, along with kneeling and entrusting their intentions to Our Lady of Guadalupe.
“With this transition, we do not feel a loss,” shared Noni Gamez (neé Nuñez), sister of Linda Dominguez. “We feel we are uniting ourselves with a new family and that we have found a new home.”
